Children's Minnesota fights Trump administration over trans patients' health records
MINNEAPOLIS - Children's Minnesota is fighting a demand by the Trump administration to obtain confidential patient records, calling it an "invasive fishing expedition" intended to intimidate providers and recipients of gender-affirming care.
The dispute is the latest between a Minneapolis-based health system that medically treats children and teenagers undergoing gender transitions and federal leaders who believe such care is unproven and harmful. Other hospitals nationally are fighting similar legal battles over gender-affirming care.
In a court filing on Monday, May 4, Children's sought to quash sections of a federal subpoena demanding records about transgender patients' "homes, families, schooling, peers, mental health, reproductive health, gender identity, sexuality, treatment by others, and more."
The health system argued that the U.S. Department of Justice's subpoena falls far short of the legal standards for obtaining private medical records - neither alleging a violation of federal health law nor explaining how the records could prove it.
"The requests ... are not aimed at investigating any such offense," Children's said in its court filing. "Instead, they are aimed at regulating (and chilling) a particular type of medical care, with the goal of eliminating it nationwide."
Children's is one of several pediatric providers in the U.S. targeted for federal investigations because it provides treatments to transgender patients that the Trump administration opposes, including hormones that suppress gender-related physical changes during puberty that patients don't want.
The Justice Department in a written statement Tuesday said its subpoenas are justified by the administration's goal: "This Department of Justice will use every legal and law enforcement tool available to protect innocent children from being mutilated under the guise of ‘care.'"
The Children's subpoena raises broader issues beyond gender-affirming care. The privacy of patient records is a bedrock of U.S. healthcare, preventing them from being used against Americans when applying for jobs or health insurance and ensuring that patients and doctors can have open discussions.
Federal law sets a high bar for the government to override privacy protections and obtain personal medical records, because doing so can be disruptive, said Catherine Ahlin-Halverson, a staff attorney for ACLU-Minnesota, a civil rights advocacy group.
"It has a real risk of chilling patients' comfort in seeking medical care if they fear that their private, sensitive medical information might be turned over to the Department of Justice," she said.
Minnesota law is more stringent than federal statutes in protecting private medical information. Minnesota also has defined gender-affirming care in law and is one of more than 20 states to mandate insurance coverage. Some families moved to Minnesota because of recent "refuge" legislation that protects them from prosecution by other states that have recently banned gender-affirming care.
Children's suspended most forms of gender-affirming care in February, after the Trump administration threatened to cut off Medicaid funding vital to the health system's operations. It restored those services late last month after a federal judge in Oregon blocked the administration's efforts.
The gender health program at Children's offers puberty-suppressing hormones to reduce anxiety, depression and suicidality among youth grappling with gender transitions. The health system does not provide surgeries, such as breast reductions, for patients seeking cosmetic changes that align with their genders.
The administration has increased political pressure on transgender youth and their doctors, especially amid studies suggesting there is only marginal proof that puberty-blocking medications ease gender transitions. The American Society of Plastic Surgeons recently adopted more conservative guidance, discouraging gender-related cosmetic surgeries until age 19 and noting the limited evidence base behind hormones.
Children's said it has negotiated with federal officials to provide information under subpoena that didn't contain personal details about patients.
The motion became necessary after a government teleconference last week indicated "anything short of unredacted records with at least some personally identifying medical information would be considered noncompliance," according to the health system's motion.
Children's leaders also were concerned after a federal judge in Texas supported the subpoena for patient records from a hospital in Rhode Island.
"The motion seeks to proactively protect patient privacy and to ensure any court decisions affecting Children's Minnesota are made in the jurisdiction where we provide care," Children's said in a written statement.
Court rulings over similar cases in Colorado, Maryland, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and Washington have quashed subpoenas or limited government access to requested medical records.
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This story was originally published May 6, 2026 at 6:37 PM.